Pace Paw Print

Students were given the opportunity to get a real-life feel of what it feels like to be intoxicated while driving at a drunk-driving simulation sponsored by The Black Student Union (BSU) on April 14.

The event, supervised by the Patrol Services Division of the Westchester County Police, took place in front of the Kessel Student Center and was held to raise awareness of the severity of such behavior, especially among college-aged students.

President of BSU, Natacha Robert, commented, "It's a really good event to get people to know about drunk driving, especially in college."

The BAC funded event allowed students the chance to experience the dangers associated with drunken driving in an arcade game. The simulation seated students in front of three widescreen plasma screens. The student would then proceed driving as he or she normally would. They were then put in different situations under which they were to test their driving skills at different levels of intoxication. The participants were coached on speed limits and the overall objective of the particular situation they were in.

The presentation came at a time when drunk driving is of major concern, especially among teens. The National High Way Traffic Safety Administration estimates that in 2006 seventeen thousand nine hundred and forty-one traffic deaths were alcohol related. That represents a total of forty-one percent of all road fatalities that year.

Students thought it was a worthwhile experience, however many commented that it was not well promoted. The few participants seen lingering in the vicinity of the police vehicles had mostly positive feedback. Many thought it was a worthwhile experience and would recommend it to anyone. An ecstatic Gabriella Acmanzar, a second-year student exclaimed, "It was awesome!"

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